Connectivity woes in Boston

[ddm at pizzashack.org (Derek Martin)]

On Fri, Aug 03, 2001 at 02:20:51PM -0400, Duane Morin wrote:

> 
> After all, what constitutes a "server" if you really want to get
> technical?  I want to connect to my home machine from work, so I run an
> ssh daemon.  Am I now an ssh server?  I'm the only client, so it's not
> like I've got a dozen people sharing the line or something.

That's one way to look at it.  And in all likelihood, your ISP won't
notice and won't care.  But there is another way to look at it which
is increasingly getting the attention of ISPs.

What is a server?  It's an open, listening port on a machine on their
network which can AND WILL be scanned for by attackers, and which WILL
be attacked, if the attacker knows an exploit for that service.
Guaranteed.  And if your version of the service is vulnerable, your
machine will be compromised and subsequently used as a base to attack
other machines.  In the vast majority of cases, this scanning and
attacking is done via automation, so if you're in the block the
attacker is interested in, you will NOT be overlooked.

Once your machine is compromised and has begun attacking other
machines on the Internet, someone will notice, and will complain to
your ISP.  They will likely give you ONE chance to clean up the
problem.  Several people on either this list or on GNHLUG can tell you
first hand that you will not be given a second chance to fix the
problem...  If you don't do it right after the first notification,
your service will be terminated, permanently.

Based on what I have seen and heard from other Cable users, I think
this is the biggest threat to the termination of your service.  So if
you really want to run your own services, my advice to you would be to
first spend some time (if you haven't already) learning how to keep
your machine secured against intruders.  And be vigilant.

-- 
---------------------------------------------------
Derek Martin          |   Unix/Linux geek
ddm at pizzashack.org    |   GnuPG Key ID: 0x81CFE75D
Retrieve my public key at http://pgp.mit.edu

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